The Growing Conflict Between Airports and Metropolitan Regions: Mexico City
The Eviction of Local Airports From the Metropolis
November 25, 2002 - Los Angeles International Airport is estimated to provide employment for 400,000 people, contributing $50 Billion annually to the regional economy. Yet even with the enormous economic importance of this facility, the Southern California Area of Governments and the state have accepted that it can no longer add runways or terminal space.
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority recently arrived at the same difficult decision. The authority is considering closing down Lindbergh Field in central San Diego and opening up a new facility much further north. Three of the optional sites are located 100 to 150 kms north of San Diego.
Other metropolitan airports that are looking at more distant locations include the famous Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris that may relocate operations 125 kms north to the town of Chaulnes.
One of earliest decisions to close down a more central airport for a new facility to avoid future land use conflicts was Mirabel Airport, 50 kms north of Montreal, Canada. When it opened in 1975, Transport Canada planned to close down the remaining airport at Dorval, which was only 16 kms from the city. But due to strong opposition from the business community that wanted a conveniently located airport, domestic flight operations remained in Dorval while all international traffic relocated to Mirabel Airport. This operational plan never succeeded because a vital mass transit ground access link connecting downtown Montreal and Dorval Airport to the new airport facility was never built. Relying only on freeway access, it was inevitable that the airlines lobbied hard to return all flights back to Dorval Airport in 1995. Today, the $1 Billion (1975) Mirabel investment sits underutilized.
While the economic importance of a major airport is a pre-requisite for the New Economy, continuing land use conflicts will plaque metropolitan airports. Today travelers want the convenience of a local airport while residents are demanding their eviction from the metropolis, representing a real dilemma for governments.
We have seen how difficult it was for the Mexican Government to proceed with the construction of a new airport for Mexico City in Texacoco, located 30 kms northeast of the downtown area.
The Economist, August 8th, 2002
Strong opposition to the new airport was so unwavering, that the Federal Government cancelled the project. In the mean time, Benito Juarez Airport in Mexico City, which is hemmed in tightly by urban development in the central city, can no longer add capacity to meet the expected doubling of air traffic by 2015. Meanwhile, precious time is slipping away while aviation authorities must find an alternative to the cancelled airport in Texacoco.
While it may be possible to add capacity to Benito Juarez Airport by expanding air terminal facilities without adding a new runway, it is all the more likely that a new facility will still have to be built. There are at least two alternatives. The first site is in Tizayuca located 80 kms north of Mexico City. The original plan was to open Tizayuca Airport for international flights while maintaining Benito Juarez Airport for domestic service. This arrangement would have emulated the failed Dorval/Mirabel experiment. One can only speculate that this alternative was not chosen because of the cost and difficulty of securing a vital ground access link using conventional rail technologies between Benito Juarez Airport and the proposed Tizayuca Airport. Another more recent proposal is to build a new massive airport in Queretaro, 220 kms northwest of the capital. This option according to the mayor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, would feature a high-speed link to Mexico City using rail technology.
Heathrow Airport in London, England introduced the widely successful Airport Express link. The link uses the subway system to move passengers between the airport and downtown London bypassing intermediate stations. It is fast, reliable, convenient and affordable, although somewhat more than typical commuting fares. The airport service does not require reservations and runs at regular intervals just like a subway system.
The Magplane System blends the speed of typical intercity transportation technologies with the reliability, convenience and affordability of mass transit systems that can enable Mexican aviation authorities to explore new more distant airport locations such as those considered in Paris, France and San Diego. And in addition, a Magplane operating in Mexico City would still provide point-to-point service while serving intermediate stops because of the unique off-line capability of the system. Providing the travel time and the cost of the airport service is commensurate with the current mass transit services already available in Mexico City, the new airport can still be relatively close when measured by travel time yet far enough away to avoid urban development land use conflicts. For example at 250 kms per hour, a 40-minute journey can transport passengers 165 kms.
Sources:
Grounded, The Economist, August 8th, 2002.
Far-distant sites examined for a new airport, North County Times, November 17th, 2002